Iowa Valley plays on after the loss of one of its players

Iowa Valley boys’ basketball gamers and coaches pose for a photograph with the grandparents of Dylan Penning following the crew’s 62-56 win Tuesday night time over Sigourney at Marengo. (Twitter photograph from Iowa Valley)

There have been hugs. So many hugs.

There have been tears. So many tears.

And ultimately, after Iowa Valley’s boys’ basketball crew had produced an incredible fourth-quarter comeback Tuesday night time to beat Sigourney, there was one prevailing feeling.

Dylan would have been proud.

“I do know he was leaping up and down up there,” Iowa Valley senior guard Evan Kearney mentioned. “I do know he was simply as excited as everybody else. He would get actually pumped after we had been taking part in sports activities, it doesn’t matter what sport it was.”

Dylan Penning died Jan. 9 at his mother and father’ dwelling in Marengo. He was a 16-year-old sophomore.

A multi-sport athlete who was widespread along with his classmates, his loss of life has devastated a whole neighborhood. Penning’s funeral was held at the highschool final Saturday.

“Only a good child. An excellent household,” mentioned Iowa Valley Coach Randy Carney. “Very optimistic, a ton of mates, a superb athlete … He was good to be round, attentive, listened to what we needed to say.

“He was only a regular child and properly appreciated by everyone. I don’t suppose I ever heard anybody ever say something dangerous about Dylan.”

Penning was a beginning guard for the Tigers.

“All the time the child that will make everybody snort,” Kearney mentioned. “He at all times labored extraordinarily exhausting, you’ll by no means not see him hustling. He at all times made positive everybody else was OK, that everybody else was laughing.”

As troublesome as it’s, Iowa Valley has determined to proceed its season whereas it grieves. Dylan would have needed that, all of them agreed.

The courtroom has develop into a sanctuary for these youngsters and their coaches. A spot to be collectively and luxury one another.

A spot to recollect their buddy.

“There’s no guide for coping with such a factor, so we had been going by really feel,” mentioned Carney, who has been head coach for seven years. “We went in (final) Wednesday, and I used to be going to simply have them shoot round. However they needed to scrimmage, mentioned ‘Let’s simply choose groups and go up and down the ground.’ That they had a lot enjoyable doing it. They had been smiling, they had been laughing, they had been joking, they had been themselves. It was the very best factor we might have finished.”

“At first, I truthfully didn’t suppose we had been going to play once more,” mentioned Kearney, a co-captain with fellow senior Beau Lengthy. “As a frontrunner, that’s not the way you’re alleged to suppose, however immediately, I used to be identical to there isn’t a method I’ll ever return with out Dylan.

“However I believe he would have appreciated us to maintain taking part in, and I believe it means so much to his household that we’re nonetheless taking part in.”

As talked about, Iowa Valley performed its first sport because the tragedy Tuesday night time at dwelling. Each groups wore particular “DJP 25” T-shirts throughout warmups, Carney saying the outpouring of affection and help from Sigourney and different colleges has been overwhelming.

His crew didn’t play properly a lot of the sport, falling behind by as many as 16 factors within the second half. Then the fourth quarter started, and so did the comeback.

Iowa Valley outscored Sigourney by a 30-12 margin to win 62-56, with Kearney pouring in 22 of his game-high 28 factors. All of his factors within the sport got here within the second half.

“The primary half, nothing was falling,” he mentioned. “Then swiftly, it appeared like I couldn’t miss, even when I used to be making an attempt to. It was simply that I needed to take over, and I knew we needed to win that sport.”

“He was like ‘We’re not going to lose,’” Carney mentioned.

Penning’s grandparents attended the sport, and the crew posed for a photograph with them at its conclusion.

“Very emotional afterward. Very,” Carney mentioned. “I believe everyone simply form of exhaled. They only felt higher, felt like they did one thing for Dylan.”

The remainder of the season is also for him, they mentioned. They know he’ll be watching.

Identical to he did Tuesday night time.

“It’s at all times going to be robust not having Dylan there,” Kearney mentioned. “It was actually bizarre being again within the fitness center in a sport setting with out him. Warming up with out him was bizarre, and there was an entire mixture of feelings. Once we did a second of silence earlier than the sport, all of it form of hit me that I’d by no means take the courtroom with him once more.

“At halftime, I simply felt like we had been letting him down as a result of we weren’t taking part in collectively like we must always have been. Once we got here again and received, I used to be simply so actually pleased with everyone. I obtained emotional once more as a result of I do know Dylan would have pleased with our effort, too. And with the end result of the sport.”

Feedback: jeff.johnson@thegazette.com